Rio took the glass, gulping down the water quickly with a satisfied gasp. "Thanks. Alright, yeah, the money might not be mine exactly." He looked at Tony. "And I wasn't breaking in here in steal anything. I swear. I was hiding."
Axel looked down at the credits uneasily. "Answer his question," he told the kid. The pain from the kick was starting to fade into a sick pain in his stomach, but at least he felt like he could breath now. "Who's money is this?"
Rio looked down at his worn trainers. "It might...kind of be, ah... the Chinese Mafia's money," he said shiftily. He looked up at the three of them. "Look, I know this sounds bad, but... I got payed to run ingredients over to the Triads. You know, for drugs, that kind of stuff. Yesterday, I was making another delivery to their warehouse, and when I was in there I saw this huge fucking stash of credits. I knew it wouldn't be there long, so this morning I broke in and just... stole it, kinda." Rio gritted his teeth, his hands fiddling with the glass uncomfortably. "Look, have you guys seen what it's like in the slums here? And I mean the slums, the real shit pits. Living there... it's the worst fucking thing I can think of and until I saw that money, I didn't think there was any way I could get out of it."
The boy slouched back against the wall, and now the emotion in his voice was real. "I didn't want to live like that anymore, man. Fuck that. So yeah. I took it. I thought it could be my way out." He glanced between the three adults. "I don't think they can find me out here, and I just need some time to figure out what I'm gonna do with all this shit. And I can't stay on the streets or, or go to a hotel or something. I mean, a kid with all this?" Rio waved a hand despondently at the credits. "Sure. People aren't going to notice that. Please, just... look, if you let me stay here just for a bit, I'll split some of the cash with you. Just for a while. If I go out there like this, I'm as good as dead."
Axel bit his lip. This sounded like trouble... serious trouble. But if the kid was telling the truth, and they just kicked him out... Godammit. Sighing, he looked up at Lily, unsure.
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Triste saw the tapir's fist rising, and without thinking she lurched to the side, the dart missing her neck by millimeters. In a smooth motion, she seized the tapir's arm and pulled him forwards, pistoning her right leg forwards. Her foot connected with his knee, and with a wet pop his leg seemed to snap in half.
Stepping back to let him fall to the floor, she flicked her hand and suddenly a small, curved knife appeared in her hand. Triste twisted the knife around so it was held in a reverse grip and started to advance on the others, catching Vergil leaping over the table in the corner of her eye.